What is this site about?
The Map Of Holocaust By Bullets is a site that includes an interactive map where users can discover execution sites of Jews in the Soviets of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The title “Holocaust By Bullets” is coined from the murder method of shooting used to execute Jews during the holocaust. This map draws light on 2,042 sites where Jews were executed and there are even nearly 1,500 more sites that are being constructed to add to the map. Users can click on “bullet” points on the map and each bullet gives information about the execution site. This Map is incredibly interactive users can discover execution sites and within each bullet is information based entirely on the location of the execution and even details things such as witnesses, villages nearby, victims and so much more. Not only is this site a map but it tells a story about the holocaust and allows users to discover archives that give more insight and honors victims of the holocaust. This map is to allow users to learn and educate themselves on genocide, and how we can learn from the past and raise awareness in our present times.
Usability – The Map of Holocaust By Bullets
When initially clicking on this site it is confusing before you can even begin to explore. Off the bat, it looks like a map with dots spread throughout Eastern Europe. I included a picture to understand the full idea of what it looks like when you open the site.
On the left side of the screen, clicking on the icon in the top left corner will drop down to an informational bar. You will see the navigation tool that allows users to search using a search bar and an advanced search section that allows you to search bullets according to the village and country. This bar also provides the total number of execution sites on the map currently and additional execution sites that are being brought to the site soon.
The bars that indicate village and country allow users to choose their exact location without having to find it on the crowded map. By choosing a country there is a list of villages that are related to that country and selecting it will bring you right to the event you are searching for. This tab gives you the option to donate which brings you to a new window of a different site. This tab can be dropped down by clicking once more on the left-corner icon.
When clicking out again you will be able to see the whole map once more, this is where it gets easy to just click on each red dot and start reading all the information given about the specific villages and their execution sites. With one easy click users can have information about the villages, each dot contains different information, but they all include the basic categories which include the number of execution sites in the specific village, what kind of place it was before, memorials, period of occupation, and number of victims. Each village had a certain number of execution sites, and the map dots offer information on certain witnesses and include witness interviews, the informational box also contains archives for different countries as it is relevant to that village. Because each dot is different some include video media and pictures some have no archives or media at all. The informational box doesn’t include why it contains more or less information, that is not very clear to users. One of the most interesting factors is that this website allows users to request the full video of the witness testimonies (if offered) in that specific village. The navigation is fairly accessible by scrolling down to the bottom of the information box user can click on options of nearby villages and that one click will take you right to that village and the information for it.
User Experience/ User Interface Good Or Bad?
The user experience is fairly good, my experience exploring and navigating the site was quite easy, but it could have been even easier. When I first jumped on this site, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at, it took many clicks to gather that this was generally dedicated to the holocaust and the massacre of Jews. I first began clicking on the red dots and instantly I was greeted with info about a village and relevant information about the holocaust according to that village. This interactive map isn’t clear on what information is right when you come on the site, but I think this is intentional to explore and learn about each “red bullet”. It is easy to drag around the map to look for dots, once you click on a dot it brings the user right where they need to be no additional windows and you can easily exit each dot to bring yourself to the next one. The colors of the dots and the map visually bring this together also and are motivating to continue to explore around and continue learning more information. I found myself clicking and clicking on new dots and watching the media offered. The media is very well integrated, and you can scroll through the information while simultaneously listening to the audio and videos that are offered. I felt it was very easy to read all the information given nothing was wordy and it became almost an essay, but it wasn’t just “tip of the iceberg” style information. The Interface of the site works extremely well it is appealing to look at the site was fast, and each click successfully loaded, each toggle took me to the exact information, and became clear what each toggle such as X meant. Overall, the site could use an informative box on the map that discusses what this user will be doing with the map and what it means, which would enhance this site to make the user experience even better.
Final Thoughts
I believe this site is an amazing informative interactive map that allows users to explore this tragic historical event and educate themselves on how to further prevent this from ever happening again. This site brings honor to victims and creates a connection with users. I created many connections with different stories I read about and found myself wanting to learn even more. This interactive map may be read as a bias toward a certain feeling toward the holocaust, but it is an important bias to understand and encourages users to create the same drive to educate and influence our future in a positive direction that doesn’t include violence. The interactive map is an amazing choice for this digital format because of how interactive it is. Because it includes media, bits of archives, and geographical information this site makes it fun for users to explore the map and continue to learn. The interactive map creates a story about the holocaust using these comprehensive “bullets of the holocaust”.